10. Process

I spend countless hours hunting for and researching antique pipes and cheroot holders. During weekends throughout the year, I can be found at estate and antique sales, flea markets and auctions with my eyes focused on finding antique beads not yet in my huge collection and the carved Meerschaum pipes that I love to use in my work.

New acquisitions are always a thrill. Each new pipe is photographed and catalogued with any known history. Next comes the cleaning process. This is often delicate, painstaking and quite unpleasant labor, but removing a century of soil and tar brings out the true acquired color of each pipe. After cleaning, then polishing with a bit of mineral oil, a pipe is ready to become a focal bead in my jewelry.

Designing each necklace means sifting through thousands of beads in my studio, all organized by color in drawers, boxes and bags. It can take days, weeks, and even months, of trial and error to search for the exact beads that will best compliment the essence of the pipe.

Each necklace in the Pipe Series is assigned a title and number. A short history of each pipe is written down as well as the legend of the beads used in each piece. A copy of this, along with an artist statement is given to each buyer. Necklaces are presented in fine lacquered wood and velvet boxes.

Diana before cleaning Diana after Cleaning

Reclaimed for Adornment

The pipes and cheroot holders I select for my jewelry are often elaborately carved with charming old world subject matter. Their fascinating history is full of stories imprinted from hands of past generations. Now transformed into intricate beads, the pipes add visual excitement to the work I am doing and have become a steppingstone to my own creativity.

Although they were originally designed to be used as utilitarian objects, carved cheroot holders and pipes were often appreciated as prized possessions. However, as younger generations lost interest in them, these carvings languished in drawers and attics for a century or more. They became dusty, unwanted artifacts and fragments from the past.

In realizing their potential for unique adornment, I am on a rescue mission to reclaim them for a second life as small, amazing objects of art integrated into my beadwork. Designing jewelry to showcase such beautiful components has altered my perception of what a necklace could be and this continually sparks my imagination.

More Quotes on Creativity

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. "

— Martha Graham

“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”

-Alan W. Watts

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